To Danny Chase, running a business is a lot like being a hockey coach or playing on a soccer team.
“When I started running a business and hiring employees, my natural response was as if I was playing on a soccer team,” he said.
“I love the challenge of business and … executing strategy.”
Chase grew up in the Yukon, a member of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation. He came south to further his education and completed a bachelor of business administration degree at Trinity Western University in Langley.
Back then, Chase said, he never thought he would one day own his own business. When he graduated, he was simply looking for a good job. He found one running an office supply business owned by the Sto:lo First Nation.
After turning the struggling company around, Chase started his own business focusing just on office furniture and design. Chase Office Interiors now employs close to 50 staff.
While it’s clear Chase has boundless enthusiasm for his business, he credits much of his success to the team of good people he’s gathered around him.
For instance, in the early days, Chase said, he kept many of the orders in his head. That was fine until the number of orders reached a
tipping point. The first employee he hired created a better system, still in use today to track projects from design to completion.
“My core philosophy is to build a team culture where people feel loved and appreciated and able to achieve levels that they’ve never realized they could achieve.”
